Beauty and the Geek
by Tazmanian
Summary: A tale of love between a stuck up beauty queen with a tragic past and a courageous geek taken from a Harry Potter rpg site. The story is still unfinished.
1. Introduction

This is the general all around biography of both of the characters. Devin's words and actions belong to my good friend, Freddy-May.

The Boring Stuff

**Position(s)**: N/A

**Preferred Year**: 5th

**Preferred House**: Antedores

General

**Name:** Juliet Butler

**Age / Date of Birth:** 15, September 23

**Blood-Type:** Pure blood

**Nationality:** English, Finish, Thai

**Spoken Languages:** English, French

Appearance

**Eyes:** Dark brown eyes, nearly black

**Hair**: Long dark brown hair that cascades past her shoulders. Also highlighted.

**Distinguishing Features:** She looks part Asian because she is.

**Attire**: Usually found in sweatshirts and jeans or jean skirts. If not wearing a sweatshirt, she is wearing a t-shirt. Always wears a ruby-encrusted silver locket around her neck.

**General:** Juliet is a very pretty girl. With her naturally tan skin and petite figure, she could charm anyone. Her face is round and she has a small nose and mouth. Her eyes are big though and they are the color of black coffee. Her dark brown hair cascades down her back in waves and they are painted with blond streaks. She is short and small and likes it that way.

Personality

**Strengths**: Clever with a know how to pick locks

**Weaknesses:** Can sometimes be very heartless with bad repercussions

**Hobbies:** Reading, Talking, Quidditch, Water

**Quirks:** Tends to be a little insecure

**General:** With a knack for knowing the right thing to say just to be hurtful, Juliet is a force to be reckoned with. She doesn't really feel the need to use her 'gift' though unless it's absolutely needed. She's smart enough to cover her tracks and really knows how to be forceful. She's also genuinely nice to a few people when she wants to be. She's insecure about her looks and hate looking into mirrors. She loves compliments, flying, water, and power. Lots of power.

History

**Place of Birth**: Liverpool, England

**Parents:** Andrew and Renee Butler. Renee is deceased but Andrew is 43.

**Siblings:** Dominic Butler, 15

**Other Family Members:** N/A

**History:** Juliet was born in Liverpool, England to Andrew and Renee Butler with her twin brother Dominic. They were a mildly wealthy little pure blood family and had everything that Juliet could ever want. That is, until her mother got very sick when she was 6. The sickness went on for two years until she could barely get out of bed at all. Her father couldn't bare seeing her like that. So at night, he smothered her. Then he burned everything. The only thing that survived was her locket. Juliet kept it and wore it every day. They had no idea how to deal with it. Dominic turned cold and talked to no one but Juliet. Juliet spent most of her time elsewhere gathering powerful pure blood friends. Then their letters from the new Hogwarts came and off they went.

Other

**Quidditch:** Oh yes. Juliet is a very experienced Quidditch player. She may be the best Seeker that the world has seen since Viktor Krum.

**Wand: **11 1/4 in, Cherry wood, thestral tail

**Pets:** Snowy owl, Romeo

**Other:** N/A

The Boring Stuff

**Preferred Year:** Fifth

**Preferred House:** Antedores

General

**Name:** Devin Michael Terrey

**Age / Date of Birth:** 16 / September 3rd

**Blood-Type:** Pureblood

**Nationality: **Irish

**Spoken Languages:** English and Spanish

Appearance

**Eyes:** He has dark grey-brown eyes that have a strange layered quality to them; they are not very attractive, no matter what Devin himself might think.

**Hair:** Devin's hair is dark brown, and it falls in very short straight locks. His hair is for the most part unremarkable: there are no highlights or unusual markings.

**Distinguishing Features:** Devin has a birthmark across his cheek: it is a single light red line about two inches long. No one seems to know where it came from. Also, he wears thick, square glasses. All the time.

**Attire:** He likes jeans. A lot. That's why he wears them, all the time, along with usually a sweatshirt and a plain T-shirt and sneakers. He really hates to wear anything formal; comfort over appearance.

**General:** Devin is average height, though a little on the skinny side: he often forgets to eat. But other than that, he's generally okay. He has light skin that does tan and burn, but not much, with very light, barely visible brown freckles.

Personality

**General:** He's a quiet sort of kid, Devin. Not so social, doesn't try to go out and do things. He'd prefer to stay in his room and read or sleep. He does have friends, though, and he's polite and fairly friendly to everyone he meets; unless he already has a reason to dislike them. But generally, he's what adults call a good kid.

He's very smart, and funny really. But oftentimes he doesn't understand when's a good time to be funny and when to be serious; oftentimes he'll mix those up, therefore seeming tactless. He's not, really. He's just... not really into it.

But despite all this, Devin is brave. I know, it doesn't seem right. But it's true; it's only approaching people Devin has a problem with. Other than that, he can do anything. He does, for the most part, try to stay out of trouble, but other than that...

When Devin meets someone new, he always appraises them for a while; and they can probably tell. He's not very good at making it unknown, but he doesn't care much about that. What's wrong with them knowing he wants to know who they are?

He's easygoing and friendly, but he doesn't let people in much. That's why he takes forever studying someone: so he can be sure they're worthy of him. And if not, they remain someone worthy of a "hello" with a curt nod.

History

**Place of Birth:** Ireland

**Parents:** Melissa Griffiths, Richard Terrey

**Siblings:** None.

**History:** Devin was born to a wizarding couple in Ireland. They were poor, and times were difficult. Up until his eleventh year he moved from place to place, for Richard and Melissa were always in search of better jobs and better houses; cheaper houses.

But when he received his letter, they vowed to stay in one place. That place was a small, obscure town in Ireland. After that, there was no more moving for either the parents or the child. Devin went to Hogwarts, excelling in Potions.

The family still has to struggle to make ends meet: they've never been able to get a large income, and no inheritance has been inherited, for all of Devin's grandparents are living. But they're glad they needn't pay for his schooling, and Devin's glad too, though it's embarrassing sometimes for others to see his secondhand clothing bought from thrift stores. It doesn't really matter, though. Not to him.

Other

**Quidditch:** No.

**Wand:** Oak, nine inches, sturdy, veela hair.

**Pets:** None.

**Other:** Nothing.


	2. Dreaming

Despite his general dislike for shiny things, Devin found himself in the Trophy Room after breakfast, on a Saturday. He felt like wandering, so he ignored the luster hitting his eyes from the golden trophies and simply paced.

There was not much point in it, but he didn't care. It beat hanging around outside or in the common room. This was simply easier. It was calming, in a way. Relaxing, to walk around doing absolutely nothing. It made life feel like a dream...

He was surprised to find a small smile of contentment slowly creep over his face. Then he stopped walking, and his body fell comfortably to the floor. His eyes closed, and Devin was sitting there, eyes fluttering a little, perfectly content.

Juliet walked down the hallway. It was insanely shiny from the sun bouncing off of all the trophies. Anyway, there was only one reason that Juliet was even up here. It was to see how good she had to be before she got her name on a shiny trophy of her own. She wanted to beat whatever Seeker records there were and beat them fast. Of course not to say that she couldn't just enjoy the nice day. But there were things that had to be done.

That was when she saw the guy sitting on the floor not three feet in front of her. She cursed at herself for dropping her guard and not noticing him earlier. He looked pretty calm just sitting there. So she walked up and plopped down right beside him. Now don't think she was getting soft or anything. She just needed a break from being mean for once. "Hello." she said politely. "I'm Juliet. And you are?"

Devin looked up at the girl who seemed to have suddenly just appeared in the trophy room beside him. He blinked several times, opening his eyes to see a girl he thought he knew, about his age perhaps. "Hello..." he said faintly, a little confused as to why she was talking to him. He would think one like her would have something better to do. Juliet, he knew about her. She was a sort of "snob girl" really -- not someone he'd expect to be hanging around people like him.

"I'm Devin..." he said, still in that strange, detached sort of voice. He wondered if his confused air would be caught by the girl; she had to be smart enough, she was in Antedores after all and most of them did indeed get their fair share of brains, usually more. Currently, he wanted her to leave him alone. "Why are you talking to me?..."

Juliet blinked at him. So he knew who she was. Or so she suspected from what he said. She didn't know that her feats had been spread around already. Of course, she hadn't really done anything here yet. Dut perhaps Devin was friends with someone whom she had been mean to. It wasn't the first impression she would have liked but there was always room to fix that. After all, she was Juliet Butler.

His question startled her indeed. But she had the perfect way to counteract it. She decided to look very innocent and slightly offended. Which she pulled off very well. "Why shouldn't I be talking to you? I have no reason, do you?" she asked nicely. Unless he had some infectious disease, whcih if he wasn't in the hospital wing she doubted, or he was extremely unsocial, he could only answer no. Unless he was as mean as Juliet.

Oh damn. What was he supposed to say now? He was antisocial, that was all. Ohhhh great. Ohhh lovely. He bit his tongue for a few seconds, staring at her. "Well, you've never talked to me before, have you?" he said, attempting to use logic. It didn't work very well.

It was just that he didn't know this girl. She was popular and as aforementioned, something of a snob. So why would she be talking to him, the invisible little Gryffindor? Devin was not a people person, he didn't talk to people, he liked aloneness. It was nice. Aloneness was Devin's thing.

Sometimes Devin was mad when people broached upon his aloneness. But right now, he was just confused...

Juliet almost laughed. She could tell that he was confused. Juliet liked that. When people were confused, it was less likely that they could see through her acts. It was also easier to know what they were thinking because they were more likely to speak without thinking. But Juliet kept her composure. It wasn't easy being a mastermind like herself. There were a lot of different pictures she had to portray. Now she was playing the role of innocent student.

_"Well, you've never talked to me before, have you?"_

That was true, she hadn't. But before now, she hadn't really noticed him either. Which was a shame. To tell you the truth, he looked kind of cute in a way. Juliet had always loved guys in glasses and being confused just made them even more adorable. Juliet smiled. "I guess I never noticed you before. Which now seems kind of silly. So Devin right? I'm not intruding on anything am I?" she asked.

He felt a little bad for being so cold. She was nice. She smiled and gave a nice, polite comment... and so Devin smiled back, with a little bit of a laugh. "Yes, Devin. Um, no... I was just sort of sitting here..." Now he felt a little embarrassed, but he didn't let himself show it, except perhaps for the nervous sort of smile that creeped across his face.

"... doing... nothing... do you ever do nothing?" It was easier to ask questions than to talk about himself. Because Devin never had anything interesting to say about himself. Talking about other people was so much easier. You didn't know them, so accuracy didn't matter. Besides, whatever they told you, you could believe.

Devin had strange, messed-up views of the world. Sometimes he wondered where he had gotten these perspectives from. But whatever. It didn't really matter.

He wondered whether Juliet liked to do nothing.

The question kind of threw Juliet off guard. It made her feel really bad. This guy was being genuinely nice to her and she was putting on an act. And he was obviously clueless to it. But now that she thought about it, she wasn't really putting on an act at all. That made her happy. And Devin actually laughed. That in itself seemed like it was a great feat. Juliet laughed a little too.

_"... doing... nothing... do you ever do nothing?"_

The question seemed odd. Odder enough was that Juliet actually did do nothing. And a lot. It seemed to be more and more these days as Dom got more and more depressed. Juliet gave a sad sigh. "Yes. I do nothing a lot. Just to relax and get away from everything you know? But my brother Dom does nothing a lot more since- nevermind." she cut herself off. She didn't want to scare this guy away with her life.

She was now talking about her troubles. Devin wasn't uncompassionate, but he was always uncomfortable when people talked about those things. He just never knew what to say. Things were just plain weird.

And yet he couldn't help but feel sorry for this girl. Juliet clearly had something wrong; did her brother have a mental problem? He must. Devin found himself wanting to cry.

"Doing nothing feels good, doesn't it? It's just an escape from all the turmoil in everything... you can shut off your brain... and pretend you're dying..." Devin's eyes widened in alarm as he realized what he had just said. He was not suicidal, for god's sake! He was perfectly happy. Why did he say that?? He didn't even want to think what Juliet would think of him now... "I mean... not that I want to die... just... an... interesting sensation..."

Juliet looked at him and cocked her head to the side. This was very strange. Very strange indeed. Devin had said almost exactly what she was thinking at that moment. That was just great. She was having a near telepathic, intamate conversation with a total stranger. How odd this was. Of course if they kept talking about such things they wouldn't really be strangers anymore now would they.

"Strangely enough, I know exactly what you mean. It's when you're so alone you can pretend that you're dead. It's weird isn't it? I was thinking that exact thing. So tell me more about you. Please?" she added the please because it seemed that he was unlikely to tell her about him. He seemed much more interested in what Juliet had to say. Which was fine with Juliet but she wanted to know more about Devin.

It was uncanny, in a sense. This girl seemed to understand him perfectly. Devin didn't know if he liked that or not... but then again, people never understood him like that. Anyone else would have rushed him off to the mental hospital immediately. But not Juliet... she got it.

Tell me more about you. Please?

He blinked. Tell her about himself? He never did that. He didn't like to, and besides, no one ever asked. What was the point of telling anyone about himself? It seemed rather stupid, really. Just... stupid. "Um... well, I'm Devin Terrey... I like to read... and do nothing." He added the last bit with a small, crooked smile. It was unnecessary and redundant, but nice. Besides, he had nothing else to say. "I'm sorry... I'm not good at talking about... myself..."

Juliet giggled. Which again was so not her. But what the heck. She liked this Devin Terrey character and his nothingness. There was nothing wrong with that. Of course being who she was, there usually would have been. But not today. Today was a new day for her and probably for him as well. She kind of pushed him with her shoulder a little bit. He was supposed to tell her something about himself. So then she would start.

_"Um... well, I'm Devin Terrey... I like to read... and do nothing."_

"You're supposed to tell me about yourself but I guess that counts. My name is Juliet Butler. I have a twin brother. His name is Dominic. I like reading and doing nothing but most of all, I love flying. It's like being free you know? I don't know." she said. She really had no idea how to explain how flying made her feel. It was just great to be out there on a broomstick and be able to see the world from above.

His eyes narrowed a little in confusion. He didn't fly, not Devin. There was no way you were getting him up there. But Juliet's words intrigued him... free. Devin didn't feel free very often at all. Maybe one day, he'd try it. Maybe. Pshh, and he was supposed to be in Reavestone. The brave one. Yeah right.

She spoke of a brother. Dominic. It was a nice name. And yet, he remembered her earlier words. But my brother Dom does nothing a lot more since - nevermind. And now he was curious. What was wrong with this twin brother of hers? "Tell me about your brother," he said slowly.

Juliet glanced over at Devin with a sharp look. Now they were getting into darker waters. Did he really want to know about the darkness in her life? And did she really want to tell him? Well, she supposed that she could leave out some parts. The parts that weren't very important to why Dom was the way he was. Juliet's gave softened. Besides, he didn't know what he was getting himself into.

"Okay. My brother is a very reclusive person. He doesn't like speaking to people. But before, he used to talk to me. Now he does not. And it was all because of our mother dying. She was sick for a long time and then she died in the middle of the night." she said. It was not a lie. She just never said how hor mother died. She now realized that she had been clutching at her locket. It was an unconsious reaction to talking about her mother.

Devin's breath came in suddenly, and he bit his lip as he did so often. Why did he ask? He knew to never stick his nose in other people's business, at least not when it was upsetting business. He never did that. He hated it. Hated when people did it to him, hated when he did it to people. Hated for people to tell him about troubling things. So why did he ask Juliet?

So her mother had died in the middle of the night. And stopped talking to anyone but her. And now he wasn't even talking to his sister. Okay, this was lovely. And now what was he supposed to say?

She was clutching a locket.

He didn't have to ask. It was her mother's.

But he could say not a word, and so he stayed silent, looking at her. He hoped she would understand why.

Juliet heard a sudden intake of breath beside her and knew that it was Devin reacting to her story. And then he was silent. It was okay. It's not like her story was about Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty. Of course she didn't know yet. It wasn't over. But so far, her story was dark enough to be made into a Shakespeare tradgedy. And what she told Devin wasn't even the worst part. She hadn't told him how her mother had died.

And of course she didn't plan to. She was afraid that if she did, it would scare Devin away. And then who would she talk to? Cassidy? Cassidy was sweet but didn't understand things like this. She took a deep breath and let go of her locket. Maybe she should tell Devin. They seemed to understand each other so far. Maybe he would understand this.

"Do you want to know how she died? I warn you, it's not going to be easy for me. Or you. But if you want, I'll tell you." she said.

"Yes," he said slowly. "I... I think I do." He had to. Somehow, he simply had to know. It was unarguable.

_It's not going to be easy for me._

He could be hurting her. He could very well be hurting her. Devin didn't like to hurt people, no matter how mandatory, how important this might seem. He should just let it be; let her be. And yet he needed to know. But he couldn't just say that. He couldn't just hurt her.

"... But not if it hurts you," he added forcefully.

Juliet forced a smile. It was terribly nice of him to be so kind. He actually thought about what it might be like for her to tell her story. Yes it would hurt Juliet just a little bit. But that wasn't too much for her to not tell it. Especially because it was Devin. She tucked a limp piece of hair behind her ear and cleared her throat. "Well, it probably will hurt to live through it again. But I can still tell it if I want. It is my story."

"Well, when I was 6, my mother fell very ill. She was coughing and could barely get out of the door. It went on like that for two years until she could barely get out of bed. And it hurt Father so much to see her that way." Juliet's throat started to close but she continued. "So one night, when me and Dom were supposed to be in bed, he took a pillow and he smothered her. He didn't know that we were watching. But we saw it and he couldn't change that."

Now he could only stare, eyes wide in horror and shock. Her father had killed his wife out of love. It hurt him for her to be in pain, and so he killed her. It was like mercy killing, only it destroyed Juliet's brother. And now he was ruined.

"I..." His voice was barely audible and he didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry, Juliet... I know that sounds cheesy or fake, but I mean it. I... I can barely imagine..." His voice trailed off. Because what he had just said suddenly became a lie.

And he was Dominic. He was standing in the doorway of his parents' room, eyes growing huge and then closing tight. He was closing up rapidly, shunning his father.

His mind was in turmoil, and nothing could change it.

Devin blinked, and suddenly he was Devin, not Dominic. He was himself, but he remembered those few seconds of pain. Horrible pain. "No, Juliet... I can imagine it. And that is why I truly am sorry."

Juliet nodded. Of course it was okay for him. He only had to imagine what it felt like to be her or her brother. Then he could just let go and be free of it. But Juliet, Juliet will always have the memory and so would Dom. But Juliet shouldn't punish Devin for just understanding her to an extent. She should be grateful that there was someone out there like him, willing to listen to her and such. And she was.

But now she wanted to turn the conversation away from this. They were in sticky waters where they were and needed to pull out. Would it hurt to talk about Devin for once? There must be something good about his life he could tell her without getting nervous. She felt like trying to open him up. "So, Devin, enough with all of this sad stuff. Lets leave it for another time. What about you? Tell me about your life." she said as if she was almost ordering him to.

He blinked. Devin wasn't ready to talk about his life. He was talking about Juliet's. They were. And yet he couldn't bear to give her the pain of making her dwell on the past. The only problem was that it wasn't the past. It was the now. She couldn't avoid it... but he didn't need to make it any worse. A few intimate chats were okay, but there was a time when it needed to stop. You had to just turn the page, even if only for a little while.

"My life," he said. "Okay... let's see... well... I'm Devin Terrey... I'm an only child, so no siblings to talk about really... when I was little, I used to move around a lot. My family never really stayed in one place. But when I got my letter, my parents finally decided to settle down."

There was nothing interesting or tragic in Devin's past. The lack of money wasn't a huge problem. He felt insignificant compared to Juliet, like he shouldn't be talking about his own life when it was so shallow and stupid. There had never been much point to his life.

Juliet nodded some more. So Devin's story wasn't the most interesting one she'd heard from people she knew. Well okay, it wasn't interesting at all really. But she liked the fact that he didn't lie about it. He didn't make up stupid stuff just to impress her like other people did. Mostly guys. He just told it like it was. Plain and simple. It may have been a little boring but it was the honesty she cared about.

Of course the honesty didn't really distract her all that much from her own life. The nightmares that waited behind every corner. Okay so she was exagerating. She only had nightmares every once and a while. And only half of them were about her life. "That sounds interesting. Well, no, it doesn't. But at least you were honest." she said. She didn't mean to say it out loud but now that she did there was nothing she could do.

_That sounds interesting. Well, no, it doesn't. But at least you were honest._

Devin could only laugh. Juliet was honest as well. It wasn't interesting, not at all. "No, it's not interesting at all," he agreed, smiling finally. For a moment he just looked at her, and decided he had really made a friend. This Juliet girl understood him so well. And best of all, he understood her.

There was more to be known about her, more to be done with her. He would make it a point not to lose her. She was not someone to let go of easily. He didn't want to leave the trophy room. He wanted to stay in here, laughing with Juliet.

Juliet was having so much fun. Of course, talking about her past wasn't easy, nor would it ever be. She had to learn to accept that. But Devin had made it a little bit easier for her. He had been honest with her and had asked her if she even wanted to tell it. That was gold to Juliet, pure gold. It was one thing that she would never forget.

Also, he understood her. Devin understood her probably better than anyone else she knew. And she understood him. She understood what he meant by even the simplest gestures. She didn't know if this was a budding friendship or something else. But she was determined to keep it. She didn't want to lose Devin. She had already lost her brother.

"So what do you want to talk about now? Pets? Philisophical theories? I'm all ears." she said. Which was big for Juliet. Usually she could not shut her mouth.

He laughed again. "Do you know," he said, "that some fish can calculate whether or not they're going to get more calories than they lose before going after their prey?"

Devin had learned this tidbit a few years ago. His mother had told him. But perhaps Juliet would appreciate it... it was interesting. He liked random facts besides, they were cool. And just awesome that way.

Juliet was just awesome that way. No, she was more than that. She was... perfect. He wondered if she knew that.

He wondered what she thought of him.

Juliet laughed. "No, I didn't know that. Did you know that even if a moose could talk, it would not be able to pronounce the word lasagna because of the shape of it's wind pipe?" she asked. It was just then that a vibrating sound came from her bag. She grabbed it and dug through it until she found her cell phone. She flipped it open and all of a sudden, the vibrating stopped.

"Hello?"

"Wait, stop."

"You're talking to fast."

"Okay I'll be there soon."

She closed the phone and sighed. She had been having so much fun be he had to ruin it like always. She got up and brushed herself off. "That was Dom. I'm sorry but I have to go. It was nice meeting you. I had fun. See you around, I hope." she said and walked off.

He didn't get a chance to say anything in response. Only in his mind did he acknowledge how interesting and weird it was -- too bad, he thought; lasagna was a good word and should be available to everyone -- but then he was stopped from answering her by a loud vibration, after which Juliet began to talk on the phone.

For the few minutes that she was on, he worried. It could be bad news. It might not be, but knowing Juliet's apparent lack of any good luck, it was.

That was Dom. I'm sorry but I have to go. It was nice meeting you. I had fun. See you around, I hope.

He blinked several times. She had been so abrupt, and left so readily. He tried to convince himself it had nothing to do with him. It was just her brother calling her. Duh.

As she left, he stayed where he was for a moment, closing his eyes and returning to his first state. Then he rose and went back to his bed. He took a long nap.


	3. Invisible Ghosts

Juliet climbed over a large chunk of rock. It was not like she had a death wish or anything being out here, it was that she could be alone out here. Even if there was someone else out here, there was a whole acre of this stuff. It was very improbable that someone else would be able to hear her private thoughts. She sat down on the sturdy piece of rubble and closed her eyes. It was times like these that she wished that Dom was more able to speak to her.

Juliet clutched the locket around her neck. It was the only thing besides these conversations that kept her connected to her mother. She wasn't totally heartless. She didn't really like being mean. But someone had to be. She opened her mouth to speak. "Hi mother. It's Juliet. I'm very worried about Dom. He's being very reclusive these days. He wont even talk to me. I wish you were here." she said and broke off.

Devin had been dreaming about music. He had never had anything to do with music, but now he suddenly wanted to. He wanted to write and to sing and to play the bass. Okay, maybe not sing. Or maybe he should. It didn't matter. He wanted music. He needed music.

And now he sat on the rocks with a notepad, trying to write it. He should, he should. He had to, really. But his notebook was black, and though his pencil waved back and forth in his hand, no words nor notes nor even doodles appeared on the page.

Maybe he just needed to sing. He opened his mouth, letting out a shaky note. Then another, then another. It was a lyricless song, and Devin's voice definitely needed work, but somehow it sounded good. And it felt good. Maybe this was what Juliet had meant about feeling free. Maybe music was his thing. If there is everything crashing on you / Someone is there to save you / Someone is there to keep hold on your fingers / They won't let you fall to the sea...

Devin blinked, having absolutely no idea where the song had come from. But he was suddenly empowered. And so he continued to sing.

If there's a knot in your beautiful rope / And the edges are coming all frayed / Sometimes you want to just fall off the edge / But someone will catch you as you fall...

His voice carried over the rocks, getting stronger as he sang. Sometimes the chickens aren't laying / Sometimes the pencil's not writing / Sometimes you live in denial / And then you land in your bed.

Juliet turned around. She had heard singing. It was beautiful singing coming from behind her. She knew that she had heard the voice before but yet she couldn't figure out who it was. And it was a wonderful song they were singing. Oh she wanted to just sit there and listen to if forever but her curiosity prevailed. She had to find out who was singing. So she jumped off the rock as quiet as a panther.

Juliet manuvered her way between glass and stone, getting a particularly nasty scratch from a piece of twisted metal. But it didn't matter to her. She just wanted to know who was singing. And there he was not two feet in front of her now. Even though he was turned around, she knew it was Devin Terrey. She walked around him and sat down right in front of him. She hoped he would keep singing. She needed it.

He felt a presence creep behind him. His voice began to die out, and when Juliet Butler sat in front of him, he wanted to faint. He stared at her, silent now. His mouth was struggling. Should it open or close? What on earth was he going to say?

He sighed inwardly, feeling a light tinge spread across his cheeks. Of course. That always happened to him. Always. But then he opened his mouth again, and quietly continued.

She need him to, he knew it. He knew full well she had a difficult life, and he was determined to be the someone. He could save her. He had to save her.

"If there is everything crashing on you / Someone is there to save you / Someone is there to keep hold on your fingers / They won't let you fall to the sea..." His voice was quiet, but she heard. She was right in front of him. "There's someone who's waiting / To catch you as you fall..."

Juliet felt the urge to cry. She barely knew Devin but already he knew her better than anyone else. It was like magic. Of course not like the same magic that they had practiced in school. It wasn't a spell or a charm. It just was. It was like the words he was saying were made for her. Which they probably were. He was making them up as he went along wasn't he? He had to be. She never heard anything like it before.

She smiled at him and blinked back a couple of lazy tears that threatened to leak from her eyes. She wasn't the best singer bust she had to try. "Hold on to my heart / and I wont fall astray / please don't let me go / please don't run away..." she sang, echoing his melody. She felt her cheeks grow warm as she sang. She knew what he was trying to do. She spontaniously leaned forward and hugged him.

... hold on to my heart...

There were tears pricking at the back of his eyes, but they didn't fall. Devin wasn't one to cry. He was more of a silent emotional type. And so even now, when inside his heart was roaring, no tears fell.

He stopped singing.

And then her arms were around him, suddenly, and he was stuck. He had to do something, and he didn't know what. This didn't happen every day. It had, in fact, never happened before.

He couldn't move.

He sat there completely still and silent as she held him, and then suddenly the tears began to fall. It was just a few, tiny, silent tears, but still he was sure she noticed. She had to.

And then he pulled away, and stared at her.

Juliet wiped her eyes. She never expected this to happen. Why oh why did this have to happen? She couldn't believe it when Devin pulled away from her. Of course he had a very good reason to. When a girl you barely know goes and hugs you, really what did she expect? That they'd just fall into each other's arms and everything would be okay? No. That did not happen in the real world. Not to people like them.

With a grim face, Juliet stood up. She looked down at Devin and saw the few tears on his face. Her heart broke. She did that to him. And she could undo it if she wanted to. She didn't want to see him cry like that. She forced a small, sad smile. "Thank you." she said. But another question hung on her lips. "What's wrong?" she blurted out. She wasn't able to help herself. She couldn't let him go that easily.

She stood up, and Devin suddenly realized what he had done to her. He had broken her heart. No, he hadn't meant to -- it was an accident, purely an accident, wasn't it, yes, yes. He didn't mean to hurt her, didn't, didn't.

What's wrong?

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, shakily. Then he looked at the ground, saying nothing.

She was going to walk away from him. She was standing up in front of him and nothing was going to stop her legs carrying her away. She was going to walk away, and be gone forever. She wouldn't come back. He was about to lose her.

Forever.

He buried his head in his hands, trying to tell himself it didn't matter. It didn't it didn't. Not at all. He'd survive, he'd find a different friend. There was always going to be someone. It didn't matter that he had sung with Juliet, that she had told him the terrible secrets of her own past, her own life. It didn't matter.

Until she turned and took the first three steps.

He heard the sounds and suddenly he was up, running towards her. "Juliet!" His hand was on her shoulder. "Turn around, please. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, I didn't!" His voice was loud and forceful, but he wasn't yelling. He wasn't mad.

Juliet thought that she could live without Devin. There was probably a hundred other kids just like him in this blasted school. Yeah, there probably was. And she could pour her soul out to them and watch their hearts break as well. No, Devin didn't mean a thing to her, she thought to herself. She tried to fool herself into thinking that it wouldn't matter whether she saw him or not. And she succedded.

That is until she took her first three steps. She heard him yell out her name. And she didn't answer, afraid but she didn't know why. And then his hand was on her shoulder. And then he was telling her that he didn't mean to pull away like that. She took his hand in her own and turned around. And by looking into his eyes, she could tell it was the truth. And she knew that she was kidding herself if she thought that he wasn't important.

She smiled. "I know you didn't mean it now. I was just too stupid to see it before." she said.

When Juliet took his hand, Devin's first instinct was to pull away. But that would be hurting her again. He hadn't been trying to... he had just been stupid. She would not forgive him. And yet she smiled.

I know you didn't mean it now. I was just too stupid to see it before.

He blinked and stared, shocked. She... forgave him? It was okay? His head was whirling, and he simply couldn't understand. She should be angry at him, for betraying her and then trying to change his mind. She was supposed to be mad. Yelling. Saying he didn't deserve forgiveness.

"I don't understand. How can you forgive me this easily?"

Juliet smiled. She thought that he would already know the answer. Actually, she was hoping he would. Because she didn't know the answer. He was right. She shouldn't have forgiven him. She should have just stormed off without saying a word. That he would understand. But then who would she talk to? Who would comfort her when she felt at her lowest? Those were two questions she didn't have the answer to.

"I don't understand. How can you forgive me this easily?"

It was a reasonable question of course. But she had just found the answer. It made her heart flutter inside. She'd never really liked someone before. She didn't know what it was like. Could it be like what she felt for Devin? She didn't know yet. "Because Devin. What would I do if I didn't have you?" she said quietly, almost in a whisper. She realized that she was still holding his hand. It started to mist.

Because Devin. What would I do if I didn't have you?

It was then that he realized how much she needed him. Tears formed in his eyes, but out of his mouth came shaky, whispered notes. "There's someone who's waiting / To catch you as you fall..." He stared into her eyes, he couldn't let go. Her hand was still in his...

She needed him, he needed her. He needed her to need him. He needed her to have him. He needed to save her, he could save her, he should, he could, he would, he had to.

"Juliet," he said quietly. "Can I... be that someone?" They were so close. Her hand was in his and he was staring at him and his head was whirling, he couldn't think straight. And then very suddenly he found his lips on hers.

When Devin was singing, Juliet didn't really understand what he was trying to do. Maybe they were just out of sync right now or something but she seriously didn't get it. But when he asked that question, her heart soared. Then she finally understood. So he had liked her from the beginning, just like she had liked him.

She didn't have even enough time to reply before his lips were on hers. And it was such a great feeling. Like flying, it made her feel free. So that sneaky guy knew all along that she would say yes. Or maybe he was just taking a risk. That's what Reavestone boys did right? She she took a risk and kissed him back. It was very romantic.

Of course it wasn't long before she felt the blood run down her arm and drop off of her middle finger onto her shoe. The mist somehow had made her fresh wound bleed faster. She felt woozy. She broke away and brought her arm to her face. There was dark red blood all around it. Enough so that even Devin could see even though the wound was facing her.

When Juliet returned his kiss, Devin took it as a yes. For a moment he felt completely free, like everything was right in the world. Everything. There were no more troubles, and he wondered if Juliet felt the same way. He wondered if Domovoi, in her mind, was okay now. He didn't want to deceive her, but freedom for a moment could do no harm.

And suddenly she started bleeding and she broke away. "I -- what -- Juliet, are you okay?!" The blood was falling everywhere. "What happened, why are you bleeding?" Stupid boy, he wasn't thinking. Wand, wand. Where was his stupid wand? Pocket... pocket! Where was his -- wait. In his robes, how stupid can you get? He pulled it out, beginning to frantically clean up the blood.

What on earth had he done to her?

Juliet could tell he was panicking. There wasn't all that much blood now that she looked at it properly. Of course maybe it was because Devin was already cleaning it up. But it wasn't gushing out anymore, which was a good sign. It was just sort of lightly flowing now. She looked down at the ground where she had stained a piece of concrete with her blood. The mist, what was now rain anyway, had almost washed it all away.

Of course Devin wasn't really helping much. But she couldn't tell him that. She took his wand hand and guided it over the injury. "Episkey." she said while still holding his wand and his hand. The wound instantly sealed itself even if there was still blood on her arm. "There. I'm all better now." she said, and meant it in more than one way. One way was that her wound was cleared up. Another, was Devin himself made her better.

He nodded in a slight daze. What had just happened? It had seemed to rush by in the blink of an eye. Devin was so confused. But it was over now. There. I'm all better.

"Right..." he said, still out of it. He didn't get what on earth had just come to pass. It was so... strange. "Um, I'm sorry... what just happened? Why were you bleeding?"

Perhaps he should just go. There was nothing else for him to do here. She needed to be left alone... then again, he had asked a question. He couldn't leave now.

Juliet blinked. This was one question that she couldn't answer right away. When she was coming over here, she remembered doing something that hurt her arm. And then she remembered the twisted piece of metal that she happened to run into while manuevering through the other pieces of junk.

"I just...cut my arm on some metal. On my way over here. I guess I didn't notice it until it started bleeding. I wonder why it didn't bleed right away." she said and stopped. She could tell that he was uncomfortable. She could tell that he wanted to get out of here.

"Come on." she said to him. "Lets go grab my bag and go inside. It's getting dark outside." she said and grabbed his arm. She started towards the place that she knew her bag was. Besides the fact that the sun was going down, it was also getting kind of chilly.

Oh! Oh god. She had cut herself on some metal... how... lovely. But his brain was thinking more like "!!" Still, he ignored it, not letting Juliet see how uncomfortable he was. "Yeah," he said, "let's go back up." He followed her towards the castle and lost himself in thoughts.

Why had he kissed her? It would be so weird now. Besides, he hadn't even known her that long! He was stupid to have done it, he knew. He wasn't going to see her for a while anyway, most likely. She'd be scared of him.

And he'd be scared of her.

Juliet looked at the boy next to her. Oh why had she kissed him back? They had only known each other for what? Two days? Three? He had probably only kissed her because he was confused. And now they both were. But she tried to imagine what it would be like if they hadn't met.

And the strange thing was, she couldn't. She just couldn't imagine what she would be like without a boy named Devin Terrey to talk to. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. He was probably just as confused as she was not to long ago. She hoped that it had helped.

"So what does this mean for us now?" she asked, almost to herself.

"I... I don't know," he replied, and he was telling the complete truth. He needed some time alone, truth be told. Her hand was in his... "I... I think it's almost curfew."

It was a lame excuse, but both true and necessary. They both needed time to think. He just had to get out and away, probably sit in his dorm and stay up late. It was his way of figuring out what was going on; he'd write or just talk aloud, mulling over anything and everything until he had stripped his situation down to the bare bones. Then he could think clearly, and he could know what to do. All he needed was a few hours of the night to stay up and think. Besides, it wasn't as though he'd be able to sleep anyway.

"We have to go to dinner..."

Juliet nodded. She had to think this over too. Her hand slipped from his and she stopped. "Yeah you're right. My other friends are probably worried about me. Meet me tomorrow in the first floor corridor okay?" she said. She wanted to hear the news no matter what it was.

Juliet looked at him. "I forgot my bag again didn't I?" she said. She hurried off towards where it was. They were too busy talking to notice it's absence. And then she was gone.

Devin nodded and silently watched her walk away, as he took slow steps back to the Arboles Wing, to his own room. Maybe he wouldn't go there, though. Maybe he would just go to the Free Room. There would be no one there, and it would be easier to have privacy, but still have room for himself to think.

Meet her tomorrow. Tomorrow?! It was too soon. But if he didn't show up, it would only break his heart. And Devin could see that Juliet was nothing but fragile at this point. He would meet her in the first floor corridor. ooc: i'll make a board, hehe Then they would talk.


	4. An Endless Encounter

Juliet stood alone in the long hallway that was known as a corridor. It was dusty, even though it was supposed to be new. It was dead quiet. The kind of quiet that you only hear when somebody dies. Juliet didn't like it. She wanted to scream just so it wouldn't be quiet anymore. She had been quiet, thinking, for so long. She was ready to say something.

Of course she wasn't supposed to be here alone. There was a certain boy, a certain Devin Terrey, who was supposed to meet her here. She knew she was early for she had come here instead of going to breakfast. And now she was mad at herself for making the meeting so early. She still didn't know how she felt about all of this.

She looked at her watch. It was almost that time. She turned her head towards the window and waited.

Devin approached the dusty first floor corridor, nervous as could be. He turned a corner to find Juliet waiting, standing. Staring out the window.

She looked so nice... but he wasn't sure if this was a good thing for him to think. He wasn't sure if he wanted something with her, or if he was just going to let it go, and be friends. They were so young... besides, she was younger. It was already five days after term started, and he had turned sixteen a couple days ago. He had to assume she was still fifteen -- and probably would be for a while. He wasn't comfortable with this.

"Hey," he said quietly, walking towards her. Then he just waited, silently...

Juliet had barely heard him approach because her heart was beating so loud it washed out every other sound. She thought that he might have said hey but she wasn't sure. And then when she turned around, he was standing right next to her. She could tell that he was nervous too. He was always nervous if she was nervous.

She thought that she might just start the conversation off with some small talk. Maybe that would get both of them out of their funk. "So I heard that you're birthday was a couple of days ago. I didn't get the chance to say Happy Birthday. Mine's not until September 23. That's still a couple of weeks off." she said.

It didn't help. She was still nervous.

Devin was fairly surprised that Juliet knew it had been his birthday. But he nodded, cordially accepting her well-wishing. "Thanks," he replied, and had to almost bite his lip to stop from saying Happy Birthday back. It would sound stupid. Her birthday was not for seventeen more days.

Oh! So she wasn't that much younger. She'd be sixteen, too. That wasn't a problem, then. But it hadn't really been much of one in the first place. It had just been a distraction, a pretend problem. They both knew it didn't matter.

"Do you, uh, have any plans for it?" he asked carefully, not knowing where he was going. Small talk, he decided. That was all.

Juliet grinned at him. Know how did she know that he was going to ask that? Maybe it was because they'd had a sixth sense for each other ever since they met. Which was what, a week ago? Well, that wasn't that long ago but people had done more things in less time. Juliet was over whatever fears she had had before. It was all up to Devin now.

She shrugged though. She had now idea what she was doing for her birthday. "My dad is probably sending me a present of some sort. Usually me and Dom do something since it's his birthday too but I don't think that's going to happen this year." she said squirming. She would rather get her mind off of that part of her life.

"Why? Did you maybe want to do something then?" she asked. It was already leading away from small talk and onto why they were here.

The question caught him off guard. Do something? He squirmed. His other self laughed at his patheticness.. he sighed inwardly. What a sad picture. "Um.. if you want to..." This was not small talk anymore. That was clear.

"Uh... okay. I mean we can hang out or something..." He tried not to show his eagerness, though he didn't know why it was hidden. Everything was hidden...

Juliet sighed inwardly. Why did boys always have to be like this? Why couldn't they just say they liked you and be done with it? I guess that was boys for you. But of course, Juliet knew how weird this was for Devin. It was the same for her.

She nodded. It was time to get to what they came for. "Listen, have you decided? If you think we should wait, I'm perfectly fine with being friends." she said though she didn't know if that was true.

"If you have decided something else, I heard there was a Hogsmeade day the day before my birthday. If you wanted to go."

He bit his lip. It was the moment. She had asked, finally.

But he wasn't ready. And yet... well, he knew what it would do to Juliet if he said no. He couldn't do it, it would ruin everything. And besides -- it wasn't as though he'd be all so happy either. "Yeah," he said quietly, finally. "I do want to go with you."

There; it was out there; it was over. Now she would take him or leave him. Take him or leave him...

Juliet smiled. She knew he wasn't ready for a relationship yet. And who was she kidding? Neither was she. But they both knew darn well that they wouldn't be able to stay just friends. It would be too hard, no matter how much they denied it. But Juliet did not know why just yet.

Juliet reached her hand out for his. She held it like they did in the greenhouses. She didn't know how this would work, but if anyone could go from not knowing each other to going out in less than a week, it was Juliet and Devin. Now it was all up to Devin and Juliet, fate, and maybe even a little bit of luck to keep them together.


End file.
